Life-boat.



N0. 72 l',690. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903.

- R. FORREST.

LIFE BOAT. 1

- 1 APPLICATION FILED MAB. 1, 19oz.

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THE NORRIS pzrzns co. moron-mm. WASHINGTON, o. c.

No. 721,690. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903.

R. FORREST.

LIFE BOAT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1902.

NO MODEL. 7 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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No. 721,690. PATBNTED MAR. a, 1903..

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'LI'PE'BOAT. APPLICATION FILED MAB. 1, 1902.

I0 IODEL. I v 3 BHEETS-BHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES 3 PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLAND FORREST, OF PHILAADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

, LIFE-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,690, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed March 1,1902- Serial No. 96,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoLLANDFoRREsT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Life-Boat, of whichlthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to life-saving apparatus, and has for its object the production 7 of an apparatus wherein shipwrecked persons may be securely protected from the sea and storm, while being at the sametime supplied with the necessary pure air. 7

Another object of the invention is the production of an apparatus wherein provision is made for guiding the apparatus in favorable weather and also placing itfin condition to resist the action of the sea during stormy weather.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of construction, all as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the apparatus complete, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

In this apparatus is comprised a closed vessel 1, preferably of light metal, such as aluof any approved form, although preferably approximately hemispherical, and with the lower part 2 depending below the hemispherical portion to provide for the storage of ballast to insure the proper steadiness of the vessel and its maintenance in its upright position in the water. deck 4, preferably curving upward to insure an arching construction to offer the necessary resistance to the action of the sea. of the vessel will preferably be of sheet metal as light as is consistent with the requisite strength and properly braced and stayed. The metal employed will preferably be aluminium, although I do not wish'to be limited to any particular material or to any specific form of construction or contour of the vessel. A suitably-constructed hatchway-5 will beformed in the deck 4 and provided with a cover 6, which will be secured with water-tight joints by any suitable or approved means, the hatchway providing for the ingress and egress The vessel is closed by a The walls of the passengers. The cover of the hatchway will be arranged to be opened and closed from the interior, so that it may be under the control of the passengers within the vessel. A suitable number of properly-protected water-tight bulls-eyes or windows 8 will be arranged in the deck 4 to afford the necessary light to the interior of the vessel.

Surrounding the upper portion of the vessel l is a flexible envelop 9, formed of rubas rubber, canvas, leather, or a combination of rubber and canvas or leather or other suitable material by which the desired objects may be attained and which will properly resist the strains and hard usage to which it is liable to be subjected. The envelop 9 may be further protected by a steel or other wire netting, if preferred. minium, properly braced andsupported and Rising through the deck 4 at one or more points are air-shafts 11, projecting a short distance above thedeck and also projecting for some distance downward into the interior of the vessel, as shown, and each connected by a pipe 12 to the inlet of a pump 13, the object to be hereinafter explained. Each of the air-shafts is provided with a hood 14 on its upper end, which is so arranged that any weight or other force exerted upon it from the outside will cause it to close the inlet to the air shaft. By this means any waves breaking over the vessel will close the hood .14 and. prevent the air-shaft being flooded.

a door 15, adapted to be closed air-tight when required and through which the air may be received in calm weather.

Rising from the deck 4 at one side isa short tube 16, in which a mast may be stepped, the mast being preferably tubular and formed in a series of concentric telescopic tubular sections adapted to be nested down into the interior of the vessel when not in use,as shown in Fig. 3, or distended and held in place by a set-screw 18 and adapted to support a sail when the Weather will permit to assist in guiding the vessel and enabling the passengers to cause the vessel to move through the water. To insure the proper control of the apparatus when the mast and sail are in use, a properly-constructed rudder 19 will also be provided at the side of the vessel opposite to the mast, as shown.

Attached to the sides of the vessel at two diametrically opposite points in alinement with the mast and rudder are triangularshaped bags 20 21, of rubber or canvas or other suitable materials or compounds of materials, suitably supported by braces 22 23 and adapted to be inflated with air. By this means the length of the apparatus may be materially increased and transformed into a more boat-like form, whereby its buoyancy may not only be very materially increased, but its steering qualities greatly improved. The braces 22 23 are connected by hinged and detachable joints 22 23" to the vessel, so that they can be folded over upon the deck 4 when the end projections 20 21 are collapsed and not in use, as indicated at the left of Fig. 3, wherein one of the bags is shown collapsed and rolled up. When the seas are too violent to permit the hatch 5 to be opened or the mast and sail to be employed, the ends 20 21 will be collapsed and folded over upon the deck 4 and the braces 22 23 properly secured, so that the surface presented to the seas will be decreased and the tendency of the vessel to roll thereby correspondingly decreased; also, when the seas are too violent to permit the hatchway 5 to be opened some provision must be made to furnish fresh air to the passengers, and suitable means are provided for this purpose, which are clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Within the vessel, or what may be denominated the hold, is arranged an apparatus by which the passengers may not only be supplied with the necessary pure air when the seas are too rough to permit the hatchways and air-shafts to be open, but also arranged to discharge the foul air from the interior of the vessel. This apparatus consists in a water-pump 13, preferably adapted to be driven by an electric motor 24, suitably coupled thereto, the motor in turn adapted to be driven by a storage battery 25, located in the lowermost part of the vessel 1, and thereby not only serving as an adequate source of power for operating the motor and pump, but also as ballast to insure the proper steadiness of the vessel and its proper vertical position in the water. The pump and motor will be located centrally of the vessel and at the lowest possible point for the same purpose. The intake 12 of the pump, as before stated, is connected into the bottom of the air-shaft 11, and if more than one air-shaft is employed all the air-shafts will be coupled into one pipe, so that the contents of all the air-shafts will lead to the one intake of the pump 13.

Located, preferably, above the pump 13 and as near centrally of the vessel as possible is a tank 26, preferably of sheet metal as light as possible, and above this tank and connected with it by a pipe 27, having a checkvalve 27", is an air-chamber 27", the bottom of the tank 26 being coupled by pipe 28 to the intake 12 of the pump 13, while the upper part of the tank is coupled by pipe 29 to the outlet of the pump 13, as shown. The pipes 12, 28, and 29 will be supplied with shut-off valves 30, 31, and 32, respectively, as shown, to control the passage of the air and water therethrough, as hereinafter shown. Leading from the outlet of the pump 13 is another outlet-pipe 33, provided with a shut-0E valve 34 and conducted to the outer air as near the water-line as possible, as shown at 34.

Leading from the top of the air-chamber 27 is a pipe 35, and conducted to an air-pump 36 and thence by a pipe 36 to an air-receiver 36", preferably located on the deck 4, and leading from this receiver 36" into the interior of the vessel, is a pipe 37, provided with a controlling-valve 38 and adapted to supply the air in proper quantities to the interior of the vessel as required. A check-valve 39 will be connected. into the pipe 37 to prevent the air passing backward into the air-chamber 27 as well as to insure the proper maintenance of the air-supply in the receiver 36".

Leading from the pipe 35, between the check-valve 39 and the receiver 36", is a pipe 40 with suitable branches 41 and valve 42 43 and adapted to supply the air necessary to inflate the end portions 20 21 and the envelop 9. Each of the ends 20 21 and the envelop 9 are thus supplied with independent means of inflation, so that any one of them may be inflated or collapsed without in any manner afiecting the other.

The pump 36 is connected to be operated by a small electric motor 45, adapted to be actuated from the battery 25. Each of the pumps will be provided with means for actuating it by hand, as at 46 47, in event of the failure or exhaustion of the battery 25 or other source of electric energy.

The receiver 36" will be provided with a pressure-gage, as indicated at 48, while the tank 26 will be supplied with a glass watergage 49, whereby the condition of these parts may at all times be ascertained.

The tank 26 will be provided with a pipe 50, rising to the upper part of the interior of the vessel near the deck 4 and preferably provided with an outwardly flaring funnel shaped outlet end 50 and also with a controllingvalve 51 and adapted to exhaust the foul air from the interior of the vessel and discharge valve 31 will be closed and the pump 13 actuated by the motor 24, when the pump will take air and water from the ventilator 11 and force it into the tank 26 through the pipe 29. This should be continued until the gage 49 shows that the tank 26 is about three-fourths full of water. The air will be compressed in the upper part of the tank 26 and flow into the air-chamber 27 through the check-valve 27. The air-pump 36 will then be operated to fill the receiver 36 with air. When the tank 26 has its supply of water and the airchamber 3b has its supply of air, the airpump 36 is stopped, the valve 30 closed, and the valves 34 and 51 opened. The water in the tank willthen beexhausted and forced'out through the outlet 34, carrying the foul air drawn through the funnel and pipe 50 with it. The requisite fresh air from the airchamber 36 will then be supplied through the valve 38 as required, and when the supply is exhausted from the, air-chamber, which will be indicated by the pressure-gage 48, the operation will be repeated, and so on as often as required. By this simple means the sup.- ply of fresh air can be maintained continuously and the foul air exhausted at the same time as fast as it isgenerated and without I This is a very important consideration and crease its length over all without increasing its beam.

2. In a life-saving apparatus, an inclosed vessel, an inflatable envelop disposed exteriorly of said vessel, inflatable extensions disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said vessel extending it longitudinally, substan-' tially as described.

3. In a life-saving apparatus, an inclosed vessel, an inflatable envelop disposed exteriorly in said vessel, inflatable extensions disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said vessel and adapted to extend it longitudinally, and means operable from within the vessel for inflating said envelop and extensions, sub stantially as described.

4. In a life-saving apparatus, an inclosed vessel, an inflatable envelop disposed exte- 5. A vessel having a collapsible, in flatable envelop, collapsible, inflatable longitudinal extensions, and means to inflate said envelop and extensions independently of each other, substantially as described.

6. Inalife-saviugapparatus,abuoyantvessel, an air-receiver, inflatable extensions disposed upon said vessel and adapted to extend it longitudinally, and means for independently supplying air to said extensions from said receiver, substantially as described 7. In alife-saving apparatus, abuoyant vessel, an inflatable envelop disposed exteriorly of said vessel, inflatable extensions disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said envelop, and adapted to extend said vessel longitudinally, and means for inflating said envelop and extensions, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HOLLAND FORREST.

Witnesses:

JAMES J. MULLEN, FRANK GALLEN. 

